Lens Error My daughter and I just got back from a trip to St Croix. We stayed at a resort on the beach and also went snorkeling. The camera was exposed to sand and water. While snorkeling we had the camera in a zip-loc bag so I do not believe it got water in it but I know that while on the beach it may have gotten sand on it.
Now the lens won't retract and we are getting a "lens error 12".
Any suggestions?
Thanks

Hard choices here my friend. Sand in the lens system is bad news.Jams up the close fitting bits. You basically have two choices. Get the camera repaired or throw it away and buy a new one.

Cost of repair will likely exceed the value of the camera. Perhaps not, but it's a gamble. Generally, just to get the extent of the damage evaluated and an estimate on repairs will cost you many dollars.

Alternatively, IF you are very handy, patient, observant, and have the correct tool, you MIGHT be able to dismantle things enough to do the cleaning yourself, but likely not to work. IF you got some salt contamination in the camera, which can be from just spray and related moisture, delicate electronic parts will be corroded and needing replacement.

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Related Questions:

First contact Kodak to see if they'll honor warranty repair. But if they don't, many cameras that fall prey to lens error problems (lens obstructed on Kodaks) can only be corrected by professional repair. But, here are some last resort troubleshooting steps that you can try that may correct it. They only seem to work for less than 40% of the lens errors, but if the camera is out of warranty (or repair cost approaches that of the camera), they're worth that try.

there is a worm gear on the motor shaft which is running when you turn camera on but the gear around lens is out of timing so it doesnt move...and it shows error you need to show it to tech to get timing adjusted.

Hi onikaassing,
A very common problem in all the brands "lens error". The remedy is that you have to replace the lens block assembly. Actueally the sled motor start malfunctioning, Contact nikon service centre maybe they have the component level repair facility which can reduce the repair cost.
Thanks for using fixya.

Lens error means that something happened to the lens, some kind of damage. You need to send it into repairs. Call them at 800-706-2534 option 2 and tell them what error you have and they will tell you where to send it. :)

Try blowing lots of compressed air around the open lens shutter to clean the mechanism. Or use a hair dryer for a few seconds (don't want to heat up the camera). Also with the lens barrel extended and pointed downward, tap the lens barrel with a pencil while you extend and retract the lens by powering the camera on and off. A grain of sand in the mechanism is usually the culprit, and you want to try to dislodge it.

You can open it up, but only as a very last resort. The above procedures usually work if you try them enough. But for those particularly nasty stuck mechanisms, here's an example repair on a Canon Powershot A400 (do this at your own risk, and it will void your warranty):